It is well known to provide a boat with a cover to prevent water and other debris from collecting inside the boat when the boat is not in use. A recent example is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 7,484,472 B1. This particular cover is a manually-operated version of a retractable pontoon boat cover system. This cover system uses an expanding frame system to cover and uncover a pontoon boat. This frame system includes a plurality of U-shaped supports mounted to a device that causes directional movement, the device attachably fixed on the port and starboard sides of the boat's deck.
The retractable cover in my '472 patent has a stowing compartment removably fixed to the bow of the boat, and the expanding frame system and attached fabric cover pivots into and out of the storage compartment.
I have learned that the system in my '472 patent has some disadvantages. For example, the U-shaped tube sections are not connected to each other, and each tube section travels independently, which results in unequal forward as well as side-to-side motion when the sections are extending and retracting over the boat. This unequal movement causes binding issues in the track apparatus.
The U-shaped supports in my '472 patent each comprise a single elongate member, which exacerbates the problem of unequal side-to-side motion. For example, if the port side of the frame system were to advance at a faster rate than the starboard side, the unequal motion would cause one or both sides to bind in the track apparatus.
The framework in my '472 patent also lacks adequate support for the attachable fabric in the front and rear of the structure, allowing water and other debris, i.e., leaves, branches etc. to collect between the first vertical support and the front stowing compartment, and between the last vertical support and the rear horizontal support.
The rear horizontal tube section in my '472 patent is unsecured when extended to support the fabric cover, and therefore is subject to wind causing this part of the cover to lift during heavy winds.
Another drawback of the retractable cover system in my '472 patent is the location of the cover's storage position. The expanding frame system stores in a U-shaped stowing compartment detachably fixed to the bow of the boat. This stowing compartment or box is costly and presents a number of problems. The design and style of this compartment is not universal and would require several different variations to outfit different brands of pontoon boats. The stowing compartment extends a distance beyond the sides of the pontoon boat and would require a wide load permit for transportation to and from any desired location. The bottom of the stowing compartment extends a distance beneath the boat's deck and any transportation unit such as a boat trailer would need to be modified to become an appropriate transportation vehicle. Furthermore the bow storage location could incur damage as the bow contacts outside structures such as docks or other boats.